KATHMANDU, Feb 8: Despite peace overtures made this week to Nepal's Maoist rebels, the army's spokesman warned of a long and bloody battle before the guerillas are weak enough to be forced to the negotiating table.

In an interview, army spokesman Brigadier General Dipak Gurung indicated that despite an offer of unconditional talks, the new government headed by the king was expecting to meet the rebels on the battlefield rather than around the table.

"We have to force the Maoists to come to the negotiating table, we are looking for them. Wherever they are we are going to launch offensive operations," Gurung said.

"We have to make them weak," he said. "They broke the ceasefire in August 2003 and since then we have managed to inflict casualties on them.... They are definitely weaker but still not that weak that they will come to negotiation table.

"We expect to fight (the insurgency) for a long period."

The general defended King Gyanendra's sacking of the government a week ago, his declaration of a state of emergency, and his appointment of a new cabinet of loyalists headed by himself.

"This is Nepal's internal problem because our country's existence is at stake," Gurung said. "That's why those steps are necessary.... It's a relative question: right to live or freedom of expression?"

It was to be expected, he added, that the international community would be concerned about the suppression of basic rights in Nepal. "It is right for them to be concerned but for us right now ... the fight against terrorism is more important than freedom of expression," Gurung said. He denied, however, that the army had taken control of Nepal.

"The power is not in the hands of the army, we have still a civilian government, we are still functioning under the defence ministry."

Gurung estimated the strength of the Maoists, who have been fighting to install a communist republic in Nepal since 1996, at "anything from 6,000 to 7,000" hardcore combatants, a militia of 20,000 to 25,000 and about 100,000 sympathisers.

Asked why he believed the army could this time round defeat the rebels when they have previously failed, he said that political parties had in the past not used the military to its full capacity.

"The army was only used in November 2001 ... Within 10 months we forced them to the negotiation table. But they utilised the cease-fire to accumulate more strength, financial gains, military recruitment, collect more weapons. And eventually they broke (off) negotiations and became stronger than before.

"In their own areas they carry weapons, they are abducting schoolchildren, teachers, extorting money from businessmen, ordinary people, we have seen them forcing people to dig trenches, construct bunkers in the school, he said.-AFP